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LOT 3204
Outstanding Civil War Era Colt Model 1861 Navy Percussion
Revolver - Serial no. 19476, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl.,
blue/casehardened/silver finish, walnut grips. The Model 1861 Navy is one of the most popular Colt
percussion revolvers, but they are considerably rarer than
Colt’s other Civil War era revolvers. Only 38,843 of these revolvers were manufactured compared to over 200,500 of the Model 1860 Army and around 272,000
Model 1851 Navy revolvers, and examples in excellent condition are nearly unheard of and especially valuable. This revolver was manufactured in 1864 for the commercial market and may have been privately purchased for use as a sidearm during the Civil War. However, unlike the vast majority of
Civil War era revolvers, it is in exceptionally high condition and appears to have seen little to no use and has clearly been very well cared for. The high polish blue finished
barrel has a German silver blade front sight, “-ADDRESS COL. SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S. AMERICA-” on top,
a casehardened “creeping” loading lever, and the
matching serial number, “19476”, on the bottom of the lug. The cylinder also has the bright high polish blue finish and displays the classic Naval Battle of Campeche roll scene and “COLTS PATENT No 476.” The casehardened frame has “COLTS/ PATENT” on the left, the full serial number on the bottom at the front, and a capping groove. The wedge and arbor pin are
“476” and “9476” respectively. The trigger guard and back strap were plated in silver and have the matching full serial number. The left side of the trigger guard also has a “U” at the front and “36 CAL” on the rear. The varnished walnut grip has “9476” marked in black ink in the back strap mortise. All of the serial numbers match. CONDITION: Excellent. This revolver remains
in exceptional condition. The barrel retains
90% of the bright original high polish blue
finish and has some slight loss on the muzzle and
barrel lug and minor scratches. The cylinder retains
75% of the bright original blue finish and has a smooth brown patina on the balance, an exceptionally crisp cylinder scene, solid safety pins, and light drag lines. The loading lever, hammer, and frame retain 95% of the fiery original case colors and have minimal handling and storage wear. The exposed surfaces of the grip frame have small traces
of original silver plating and otherwise display aged
patina on the brass, and the concealed surfaces
retain strong original silver plating. The
grip is also excellent and has most of
the original varnished finish, a few
minor dings mostly on the right side
of the butt, and minimal handling
wear. Mechanically excellent. This is
one of the finest Civil War production
Colt Model 1861 Navy
Revolvers extant.
Provenance: The Mac McCroskie
Collection.
Estimate: 50,000 - 80,000
One of the Finest Known Civil War Production Colt Model 1861 Navy Revolvers
From the Legendary
Mac McCroskie Collection